Question:
Hi Kate,
First of all allow me to congratulate my self with you for
the beautiful dogs and great advice you give.
My name is Leeandra and I'm 17 years old. I come from Malta.
I've been showing dogs ever since I was 3 years old and never had any
problems. I've stopped for a period of 5 years after the dog I had been
showing had to be put down due to a Sandfly bite.
I'm going back in the ring in October again with a bull
terrier. I have never shown a bull terrier before although I own a 2 year
old bitch. The new dog which I will be showing comes from a pet home, he is
6 months old. He has been thought to sit when someone stops. This obviously
represents a problem in the ring. Any ideas how I can over come this
problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Leeandra Kate's Answer:
Thank you for the compliment on my dogs and
website etc.
Now to answer your question about a young dog
that sits when you stop. First of all I would get a 6 foot leather leash
and attach it to your dogs collar, then loop the rest of the leash loosely
under you dogs belly. When you heal hold the leash in your right hand and
with your left hand hold the other end so that you can still control the dog
but this time when you stop and the dog goes to sit tighten the leash that
is looped under its belly. You will only need to touch the dog with the
leash so it is prevented from sitting. By doing this your dog will try to
stop attempting to sit and will stay standing.
When your dog does stand next to you say "Show"
and keep the dog standing next to you until you start healing again.
Always keep the leash under the belly very loose, only touch the belly with
it if your dog is going to sit when you stop. Then as soon as it stays
standing say softly "good boy"... then say "Show" and start to heal
again. It shouldn't take very long and your dog will understand that you
want him to stand and "show" when you stop. You can still use the "Sit"
command only this time you will say "Sit and make your dog sit. That way
he will learn that there are two commands now "Show" and "Sit".
Please let me know if this helps.
Well I have to run, I pray you will do great
in the ring.
God bless, Kate
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Question:
Hi Kate.
I have been reading your site and found it to be
fantastic really helpful.
We have just bought our first puppy he is a male
brindle he is almost 10 weeks old,
We are looking to start him at obedience class
at about 5-6 months would you advise this or
is it a little to early? I have read your
section on training/ obedience and found it quite helpful but when should i
start. Kate's Answer:
You should start obedience at no later than 10 - 12 weeks. Waiting
till your puppy is 5 or 6 months old is far to long. At 10 weeks your
puppy is small and easy to physically put into a sit or down... but at 5 or
6 months your pup is half grown and is physically very strong so it much
harder to work with at that age. Also the first 4 months is the best time
to train your puppy, that is the most impressionable time of their lives.
Once your puppy reaches 4 months they move into what I call the "fear age"
and it last from 4 to 8 months. It the time when every new situation can
be very scary for a puppy. To start training for the first time in new
surroundings with other dogs, loud noises etc can be very traumatic to some
puppies at this age. This is NOT the best time to start classes with your
puppy if at all possible.
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Question:
Lui asked:
I currently reside in Minnesota USA. I wondered how BT do in snow and very
cold weather given their short coat?
Kate's Answer:
... Most Bull Terriers love to play in
the snow and go for a winter walk with their owners. I know of lots of
Bullies who live in a very, very cold climate but ONLY as a house dogs. You
are right do to its short coat it is not a breed that can ever live outside
in either a dog house, or tied up etc. In the cold weather a Bull Terrier is
very susceptible to "frost bite" on tips of their ears...so when you take your
dog outside to go to the bathroom he/she can only go out for very short
periods of time. My advice to people is that if you do take your dog
outside for a walk in the winter, do not bundle yourself up like "nanook of
the North" dress lightly so when you feel the cold you know your dog is
feeling it too.
While we are on the subject of weather.. Bull
Terriers also sunburn very easily because of their pink skin pigment. Bull
Terriers have very little fur on their noses and you need to use a good
sunscreen on their face and nose in the summer to help prevent sunburn. So
like the winter months when you feel you have had enough sun then your Bully
has had enough as well.
I hope this answers your question,
God bless, Kate
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Question:
Hi there,
> How do allergy sufferers typically react to Bull Terriers?
Thanks in advance, David
Kate's Answer:
Hello David:
Boy... this is a hard question. Over the years I have seen people with
allergies react and some not react. I have even known some people ( a small
handful ) react to even the fur of a Bull Terrier. An old vet we had was one
of them. He had to wear long sleeves when he examined our dogs.
So the best thing to do is go to a kennel and spend an hour or so with the
dogs and just see what happens. Everyone who ever reacted that I know of did
so in less than 1 hour of exposure. So you should know right away. Also
those that did not react did fine even after they got their own puppy.
So I guess to know for sure you will be "Off for a visit" to your local Bull
Terrier breeders.
I hope this helps and answers your question.
God bless, Kate
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Question:
How do I keep my dog from crossing the road?
Kate's Answer:
Well this is one of the most complex questions I have had so far. First
of all I wish I could give you an easy answer but I can't.. every dog is
different, and some respond to one method and others to a different method. All
you can do is keep trying various ones until one works. With this in mind, the
very first thing to do is go to some kind of obedience classes in your area. It
doesn't have to be my classes as long as it is a course that will teach you how
to train your dogs in the basics: Sit, Down, Stay and Come. Most dogs that have
the basic understanding of what you expect from them will obey you when you ask
them to "Come" or "Leave It".
The next step is to take your dog on a loose leash to the boundaries of the
area you want your dog to stay with in. I would also recommend that if you have
two acres of land, you don't have to walk the entire perimeter with your dog. I
have six acres, but all I want is my dogs to stay on the top part of my front
lawn and side lawn. I don't want my dogs on my driveway so I have taught my dogs
the boundary is the lawn areas only.
When you walk your dog on the loose leash and they wander over the boundary
you have decided on, say "NO" in a form voice and give a gentle but
firm jerk on the leash to pull your dog back over, then praise and reward your
dog. If your dog hasn't stepped over the boundary but is thinking about it, say
"NO" and "LEAVE IT", then when your dog turns back towards
you, praise him right away.
The one thing to remember with boundary training is that a dog is an
individual and has a mind of its own. Even the best trained dog in the world can
cross a boundary is there is something really enticing on the other side like
children playing ball, a rabbit, cat, etc. The only sure way you can keep your
dog on your property is by putting up fencing, either the traditional kind or
underground fencing that no one can see. The disadvantage to underground fencing is
that your dog must wear a collar that gives them a warning that they are getting
to close to the underground fence and it is up to the dog to turn around or get
a mild shock if they try to cross it. The shock is mild and does work as a deterrent
and I know many people that are using this system.
As I said, it is all up to the dog which method will work best for both of
you. What I tell my students is to go step by step, starting with obedience
training until you find the method that works for your dog and you feel
comfortable with.
Kate.
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Question:
Do you think that the bull
terrier is a good dog for a young teenager that doesn’t have experience with
this type of breed?
Kate's Answer:
A Bull Terrier can be the perfect dog for a
teenager because of their love of people and they have lots of energy ...
enough to keep up with a teenager. We have 9 children and 29 grandchildren
and I am a Children's Pastor. So our dogs are around lots and lots of
children.
but... make sure your teen takes his puppy to
obedience classes this will make a lasting bond for life between them. It
will also teach them how to respect each other and show the pup that
your teen is the boss.
I hope this helps.
God bless, Kate
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Question:
Hey are Bull Terriers good farm dogs? Like
around horses and things of that nature?
Kate's Answer:
I would love to say that a Bully is a great farm dog but the truth is most
are not. There are some that can be but it is very rare. A Bull
Terrier can have a very strong "prey" drive which means when something
runs they want to chase it. This makes for a dangerous situation on a
farm for the other animals as well as the Bull Terrier. There are lots
of breeds that would be good as farm dogs, Australian Shepherds, Great
Pyrenees, Border Collies etc. Maybe this would be a better breed for
you?
If you have any more questions feel free to ask a Bull Terrier is not the
breed for everyone that is why it is good to ask questions.
I hope this answers your questions,
God bless, Kate
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